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H. DAVIS.

VERTICAL SWINGING DOOR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 15. 1918.

Patented Dec. 9, 1919 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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H. DAVIS.

VERTICAL SWINGING DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15. 1918.

Patented Dec. 9,1919

7 HEETSSHEET 2 m w I HARRY DAVIS, or omens-o, rumors.

VERTICAL swmeme' noon.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Dec. a, rare.

Application filed April 15, 1918. Serial No. 228,625.

To all whom z't may concern: l

Be it known that I, HARRY DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vertical Swin ing Doors, of which the followingis a speci cation. The invention relates to improvements in doors and especially in vertical swinging doors. I a

The principal object of the invention aims at the. provision of a door of the character specified which, irrespective of the lengthof use, will. always be easily opened and will' automatically shut tight to establish as nearly as possible a hermetic closure.

It is an object of the invention to provide means secured to the door and causing the latter to completely close the opening when l the door approaches closing position.

A further object embraces the provlsion of a toggle-joint secured at the free edge of the door, having the tendency to exert an end- Wise pressure when the members of the o1nt are in a straight or substantially straight line.

It is a further object of the invention to provide auXiliar means for automatically placing the mem ers of the toggle-joint in a straight line so as to obtaln a tight closure of the door opening.

Still another ob'ect of the invention aims at the provision of gravity means for placing the members of the toggle-joint in substantially registry position.

It is a further object to employ a difierential Windlass, the running block of which is secured to the free edge of the door and is encompassed by. the rope or cable, the ends of which are made'fast respectively to the two barrels of different diameter of the windlass. It is a still further object to provide the windlass with tapering barrels of different radius, so that the increasing tension of the cable and the increase of the load due to the lifting of the door is partly compensated by the respectiveinc'rease and decrease of the diameter of the barrels and a practically constant power maybe applied to the means for raising'the door.

To the accomplishment of the foregolng and related ends the invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail certain arrangements embodying the invention which, however, constitute but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In the annexed drawings:

, Figure l is a fragmentar view of a wall provided wit structed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 a side view of a toggle-joint secured to thedoor and adapted to move the latter into closing position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the door disclosing the mounting of the same;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section of the differential windless partly shown in view;

Fig. 5 is a detail of the running block ghich is secured to the swinging edge of the oor.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a wall provided with an opening 2, which is normally to be closed by a door 3, arranged to swing about a horizontal axis. To alongitudinal I beam 4: of any other available support at the upper side of the opening an angle-iron 5 (Fig. 3) is secured at the lower flange thereof in any approved or preferred manner. From this angle-iron members 6 are suspended, which enter hinge-plates 7 perspective at the upper edge of the door 3, which is reinforced at the top edge and on the inner side thereof by an angle-iron 8 bolted or otherwise fastened to the door.

At the lower end an angle-iron 9 serves as a reinforcement. Another angle-iron 10 is securedto the angle-iron 9 such that the horizontal legs of both reinforcing members are in superposed relation, and both members 9 and 10 constitute a Z-shaped beam.

As is clearly indicated in Fig. 1, the vertical leg of the angle-iron 10 overlaps the lower edge of the door opening 2, and when the door isin completely closing position a substantiallytight closure is obtamed.

At a distance from the door and slightly a door" conl above the upper edge thereof an operating shaft 11 is journaled in bearings '12, arranged on transversebeams 13 level with the longitudinal beam 4.

fit?

conditions or requirements warrant, without afiecting the operation or scope of the invention.

To the shaft 11 a pair of windlasses 14 are secured in spaced relation. dicated in Fig. 4, each Windlass comprises two tapering barrels 15 and 16 respectively formed integral or, if preferred, formed separate and secured together in any convenient manner. The barrels 15, 16 are of different diameter and the taper of the barrels is so arranged that the wider portions of the barrels are contiguous. The Windlass 14 is made fast to the shaft 11 by means of set-screws 17, and is provided with a plurality of peripheral flanges 18, 19, 20 at the ends of the barrels to prevent the cable or cord 21 from slipping off. The cable 21 is secured with one end of the barrel 15, as at 22, and is wound thereon in several convolutions. The cable is then trained over the sheave 23 of a running block 24, and the other end of the cable is fastened to the barrel 16, as at 25. As illustrated in Fig' 5, the running block 24 is forked to receive between the prongs the sheave 23 and a pintle 26 projecting through the prongs rotatably secures the sheave to the block. Through an eyed extension 27 of the block a staple 28 extends which is det-achably secured to the vertical leg of the angle-iron 9. The Windlass operates on the principle of a difi erential pulley. It is obvious that upon rotation of the shaft 11 one side of the loop 44 formed .by the cable 21 is paid out, while the other side is wound about the barrel to which the appertaining end is secured, and due to the difference of diameters of the barrels the loop is gradually shortened or lengthened according to the direction of rotation, so that the door is raised or lowered in accordance with the direction of rotation of the shaft 11.

Between the shaft 11 and the free edge of the door 3 a pair of toggle-joints are provided, the free ends of the members of the toggle-joints being respectively secured 1 to the shaft 11 and the door 3 (Fig. 2). A

U-shaped member 29 is mounted on the shaft 11 and projectswit-h its end" into the member 30 of the toggle-joint, whereby the latter is pivotally secured to said shaft. A second member 31 is pivotally connected to the member 30, as at- 32, and its lower end is secured to a block 32' in threaded engagement with the angle-iron of the door. As indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, a set-screw 31' limits the movement of the members with respect to one another into alined or registering position. A weight is arranged on the pivotal joint 32 of the members 30, 31

for a purpose hereinafter further explained. Between the door and the shaft 11 a able manner, and this motor constitutes the As is innected by the belt 41 Wound around said.

pulleys. When it is not desired to actuate the shaft 11 by motor power, it may be operated by hand, and to this end a sheave 42 is keyed to the counter-shaft 35 and provided with a rope or cable 43, which is seized by the operator whenever rotation is to be imparted to the counter-shaft and to the operating shaft.

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming the door to be in closed position a drive is imparted to the shaft 11, whereby the latter is rotated in counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1. Due to the actuation of the differential Windlass 14, the loop 44 formed by the cable 21 with its blght encompassing the sheave 23, is gradually shortened, whereby the door 3 is raised from the vertical into horizontal position. The toggle-joint, due-to the movement of the door 3, is broken, so that in the final position the members of the joint form an acute angle-similar to that indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 for an intermediate position of the door. The breaking of the joint is effected with comparative negligible resistance, as the ends of the members are rotatably secured respectively to the door and shaft 11. When the door is placed into horizontal or nearly horizontal position the drive to the shaft 11 is disconnected or stopped, whereupon access may be had to the interior of the structure through the opening 2. I

When it is desired to place the door in closed position, drive is imparted to the shaft 11 in clockwise direction until the door assumes a vertical position. The presence of the toggle-joint now comes into action in order to secure a tight closure of the openmg. As Wlll be readily understood, the members of the toggle-joint, by virtue of occupy a straight or alined position, and

.when the door is ajar the Weight of the member 30-, 31 will exercise an endwise pressure on thedoor and force the same into the closing position, in which the angle-iron 10 overlaps the wall 1 and bears against the same. To supplement the action of the toggle-joint the weight 45 is provided, which augments the downward force acting on the oint, whereby considerable endwise presstood, the cable is placed under a higher tension when the door reaches the horizontal position than when it occupies a position adjacent to the wall 1. The convolutions of the cable 21 will, in the course of the opening of the door, be almost completely unwound from the barrel 15, so that at the end of the opening movement the cable is paid out-at the large end of the barrel 15 and simultaneously the other side of the loop 44 is Wound on the narrower end of the barrel 16. Toward the end of the opening movement the cable is taken from the broader end of the barrel 15 and wound on the narrower end of the barrel 16, thereby decreasing the differential action of the Windlass.- The result of this arrangement is that when the tension of the cable increases, or, in other" words, when a greater load is to be overcome, the differential action of the w1ndlass is reduced, so that during the entire opening movement of the door practically constant power may be applied tothe shaft 11.

\Vhilethe drawings show the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is by no means limited thereto. Various alterations and modifications will readily suggest themselves to those versed in this art, and'all t lt departures are included in the scope of the invention as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a structure of the character described, the combination of a door pivotally supported on its upper horizontal edge so as to 'drop into closing position by gravity, toggle levers movable in a plane permanently at right angles-to the plane of the door, one of' said levers being hinged tothe lower edge of the door, the other lever being hinged at one end to the first named lever and being pivotally supported in a fixed point at its other end, and a Weight acting in the plane of the toggle levers, connected to the hinge between said levers.

2. In a structure of the class described, the combination of a door pivotally supported on its upper horizontal edge so as to drop into closing position by gravity, rigid tension members in a plane permanently at right angles to the plane of the door, one of said tension members being at its lower end hinged to the lower edge of the door, and the other tension member being at one end hinged to the first named tension member, and a weight movably connected to the upper end of the first named tension member and adapted to convert the said member into a compression member before the two tension members are in exact alinement, said weight acting in the plane of said tension members.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

HARRY DAVIS.

Witnesses: I

DANIEL A. BRENNAN,

JENN'ETTE ORMsBEn. 

